With participating athletes and officials coming tomorrow, rumour mills are working overtime
With participating athletes and officials coming tomorrow, rumour mills are working overtime
*u00a0Commonwealth games village not readY
*u00a0Foot overbridge collapse; Games infrastructure crumbles
*u00a0Security concerns in the wake of Jama Masjid Attacku00a0u00a0
* Participating countries threaten to pull out
*u00a0Imminent flood threat
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Down Under: A foot overbridge at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium, venue
for the Opening and Closing ceremonies for the Commonwealth Games,
collapsed on Tuesday. Pic/Imtiyaz Khan
However, the Organising Committee (OC) officials reiterated, like always, that nothing is going to stop the Games now.
Summing up the mood on Tuesday in the wake of the foot overbridge collapse near Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, a top OC official said: "I wish the Games are postponed. The city is not really prepared for hosting such an event." Here's why even the organisers wish that the mega sporting event gets postponed.
Village not ready
The four nations' advance mission to check the state of preparedness in Delhi came out with startling details. There were stray dogs putting up in rooms meant for athletes and officials at the Games Village. The animals had torn the bedsheets. In some rooms, they found cement bags lying on the floor. Apart from that, the workers had spitted on the walls of toilets and kitchens. Toilets were being used by workers. In some of the rooms, workers had defecated. In some of the blocks, taps were found missing.
Officials pointed out the organisers are yet to complete the work at the Games Village in around 15 towers. With just one day left, New Zealand, Canada, Scotland and Ireland teams have pointed out that either the problems at the venue be fixed or they be put up in alternative places or hotels.
The rising Yamuna has already inundated places around the Games village and the threat of dengue is also looming large over there.
Crumbling infrastructure
Best characterised by Tuesday's incident in which a foot overbridge at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium collapsed, the overall infrastructure for the Games had been reporting problems with venues and stadiums either ill-prepared or under-prepared.
Even the government agencies, including the CVC and the CAG, had found substandard quality material being used in the projects. "As most of the projects have been executed in a hurry, there are reasons to believe that the quality might have been compromised," said a Delhi government official.
Participating nations have been skeptical about the state of preparedness. "Now they have come out in public. New Zealand, Canada, and Australia have threatened to pull out. Their advance missions have complained to the CWG federation and we should not be surprised if somebody pulls out of the Games. Already a number of top players of different streams have pulled out of the Games," said an OC official.
"This incident (the foot overbridge collapse) has added fuel to these speculations. Major works, including Barapullah, Noida Link Road, a number of flyovers and games venues have been completed in the past two months only. And there have been record rainfall this year. So, it is difficult to say how long it would sustain. This incident has put a question mark on all the projects carried out by the DDA, CPWD and Delhi government," added another official.u00a0u00a0u00a0
Security concerns
The central government is yet to come out with a clear statement over Sunday's Jama Masjid attack, and Home Minister P Chidambaram, who is rather vocal about security issues otherwise, has not spoken a word.
The Delhi police has already hinted that the Jama Masjid firing incident in which foreign tourists were targeted was carried out to spread fear. "There are too many coincidences. In an e-mail sent to the BBC and other media organisations, the Indian Mujahideen has claimed that they are also ready to thwart the Games.
To top it all, an Australian news channel claimed that its crew took a bag carrying explosives inside the Games Village which further shows the ill state of preparedness as far as security is concerned. "The government is now saying they could not carry out security trials, but does it really matters. It was their duty to fix the holes in time," said a senior sports journalist.
Flooded
Though the state government is denying any impending threat from floods, environmentalists have pointed out that the danger to the Games Village is real. "The administration will not be able to pump out the water from the fields on time. It is still raining in several states which are contributing to floods in Delhi," an official pointed out.
Look who is concerned!
A senior Pakistani police official will visit New Delhi from September 26 to inspect the security and other arrangements for the country's contingent in the Commonwealth Games scheduled from October 3-14. The Pakistan Olympic Association confirmed said on Tuesday that the government has decided to send a deputy inspector general of Police from Islamabad, Ahmed Mukaram to the Indian capital on a security visit. POA President, Arif Hasan said that it was true that Pakistan had some reservations and questions over the security arrangements for athletes at the Games Village.
"The security personal will be meeting the Games officials and Indian security officials to get a brief on what security cover is being provided to our contingent," he said. Pakistan is sending a 75-member contingent for the Games.
Damage control
It has been decided to deploy more manpower and resources to ensure proper cleaning and maintenance of the apartments in the residential towers at the Commonwealth Games village. It was also decided to appoint one officer from DANICS (Delhi Andaman and Nicobar Island Civil Service) in each of 34 towers to ensure coordination and ensure proper maintenance and cleaning. The meeting also decided that any additional manpower and other resources, as required, will be provided on top priority by the city government, Delhi Development Authority and MCD.
"We were aware of this issue (cleanliness) and we have already started our work. 70 per cent of work on cleaning the residential blocks has been completed, we will complete the remaining in 36 hours," Organising Secretary Lalit Bhanot said on Tuesday.
"Anyway, we have now upgraded the level of cleanliness which should be there according to them. So we are looking into everything and we will deliver the Games. No country has said they are not coming," he said.
"We had set the target that all work will be over by September 23 before the arrival of athletes. It still stands."
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